'Souvenir' on Lyric Stage in Boston strikes a chord on the funny bone

Over at the Lyric Stage Company of Boston, the revival of “Souvenir” is so bad it’s funny.

And that’s just the way they want it.

For the past month or so, director Spiro Veloudos and actress Leigh Barrett have been on a quest for imperfection. That’s the goal when you’re telling the life story of Florence Foster Jenkins, a New York socialite who tortured friends and strangers with her tone-deaf recitals.

“She was a singer who couldn’t sing,” says Veloudos. “She was never in tune, she was never on tempo, and she wasn’t in the right key.”

That’s why Barrett loves her.

“I have great affection for her,” says Barrett, a staple of the Boston musical scene. “I feel the need to give her a voice. I get emotional thinking about her. I identify with her - music brought her immense joy. She reminds us that what matters most is the music. She was happiest when she was making music. Wouldn’t it be great if we could all find that kind of joy in something, even if we weren’t doing it perfectly?”

It’s an odd twist of Jenkins’ story that she didn’t just toil in obscurity. Her singing was so notorious that she developed a kind of cult following. Her story ends at Carnegie Hall in 1944, where her disastrous concert confirmed that she was the Ed Wood of the music world.

“She loved the art inside herself more than she loved herself inside the art,” says Veloudos. “She thought she was singing wonderfully. To her, it wasn’t humorous, it was artful.”

As soon as Veloudos saw “Souvenir” in New York in 2004, he knew he wanted to bring it to the Lyric. He returned to Boston and promptly told Barrett that he had just seen a show about a tone-deaf singer and he was confident she was the perfect person to play the role. Presumably, that was a compliment.

“It takes a really good singer to sing badly,” says Veloudos. “They have to really understand their own voice. Leigh is so funny in the show, and then so poignant at the end of the play.”

It’s a credit to Barrett’s ability that she’s discovered an important subtly of performing badly.

“The closer I get to the right pitch,” she says, “the funnier it is.”

Barrett shouldn’t be offended by the casting. There’s no doubting her musical chops. She’s played featured roles in prominent local productions of “Ragtime,” “Gypsy” and “Into the Woods,” and she and Veloudos have developed an ongoing creative partnership – she’s appeared in about a dozen of Veloudos’ productions since her debut with the Lyric in 2001.

Add in Will McGarrahan, who plays Jenkins’ loyal accompanist in this two-person show, and this production of “Souvenir” has become a kind of theater-family reunion.

The three theater artists staged “Souvenir” 10 years ago at the Lyric, and it’s a testimony to Veloudos’ fond memories of that production that when he chose the plays for this season – his 20th anniversary as producing artistic director at the Lyric – he decided to revive “Souvenir” with the same cast.

“It’s like seeing an old friend again,” says Barrett, referring to the play that’s running now through Nov. 19. “It was a little jewel box of a show, and it was a hit. People still tell me how much they loved ‘Souvenir.’ It’s so much fun to be back in this show with Will and Spiro and everyone else.”

The passage of 10 years has also colored the way the trio sees the show.

“The three of us are 10 years older, 10 years wiser and 10 years more experienced,” says Veloudos. “I feel like we’re drilling deeper into the play. The first time around, we played it totally as a comedy. But this time we’re finding more nuances. The first act is still a comedy, but there’s also more drama and sadder moments near the end of the play.”

It’s understandable if Veloudos is feeling a little nostalgic these days. Not only does this mark his 20th season at the Lyric, he’s just now emerging from a medical emergency caused by his ongoing battle with type 2 diabetes. He underwent a surgery to remove part of his left leg in December, and he’s still adjusting to his new physical reality as he returns to directing.

“I’m managing incredibly well,” says Veloudos. “I’m using a prosthetic leg. I don’t have full mobility, but I’m also not stuck in a wheelchair. I’m feeling strong, I’m feeling great.”

It’s another reason that a sense of celebration permeates this production of “Souvenir.”

“To say that rehearsals have been fun would be an understatement,” says Veloudos.

“It’s so rare that you get a chance to revisit a show with the same cast,” says Barrett. “And it’s such a gift that we get to restage the play with people that we love and respect. We don’t take it for granted.”